1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection structure, for use in eco-friendly cars, such as hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and the like, and in particular, for being capable of use for a portion to connect a power harness, which is used for large power transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
In hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and the like which have remarkably developed in recent years, a power harness, which is used for large power transmission for connection between devices, has at its one end a connector, which consists of two separate portions: a male connector portion with a male terminal and a first terminal housing accommodating that male terminal, and a female connector portion with a female terminal connected with the male terminal and a second terminal housing accommodating that female terminal.
In recent years, such eco-friendly cars have been designed to reduce the weights of all parts thereof, to enhance the energy saving performance of the cars. As one effective means to reduce the weights of parts of the cars, it has been proposed to reduce the sizes of the parts.
For example, a technique as described below, which has been disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199, is known in the art.
JP patent No. 4037199 discloses an electrical connection structure for a vehicle, which is for connecting multiphase connecting terminals of a conductive member drawn out from a motor for driving the vehicle, and multiphase connecting terminals of a power line cable drawn out from an inverter for driving the motor. The technique used in the electrical connection structure disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199 is as follows: Each phase connecting terminal of the conductive member and each corresponding phase connecting terminal of the power line cable are overlapped, and isolating members are disposed on opposite surfaces to the overlapped surfaces of the connecting terminals, respectively, and these overlapped connecting terminals and isolating members are collectively fastened in an overlapping direction with a single bolt provided in a position to penetrate these overlapped connecting terminals and isolating members.
That is, in the technique used in the electrical connection structure disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199, the single bolt is tightened in the overlapping direction, to collectively hold the multiplicity of contacts between the connecting terminals, which are the overlapped surfaces of the connecting terminals, and thereby fix the connecting terminals at the contacts therebetween, for electrical connections between the connecting terminals, respectively. This configuration disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199 is effective in easily ensuring size reduction, compared to a technique disclosed by JP-A-2009-070754.
Refer to JP-A-2009-070754 and JP Patent No. 4037199, for example.
Also, in JP patent No. 4037199, a spring washer indicated by numeral 43 is used. This spring washer 43 is effective in exerting a proper pressing force while the stroke of tightening the bolt indicated by numeral 18 is being regulated by a metallic collar indicated by numeral 41.
In JP Patent No. 4037199, however, the thickness of the isolating member indicated by numeral 31 disposed adjacent to the spring washer 43 is generally determined by taking into consideration the electricity movement from the contact to the spring washer 43, and the spring washer 43 is simply attached to on the isolating member 31, therefore leading to an increase in the thickness in the overlapping direction of the electrical connection structure due to the thickness of the spring washer 43.
To make the size of the electrical connection structure very small, the present inventors have ensured that the electrical connection structure is further slimmed.